Tiger Rescued From The “World’s Worst Zoo” Now He Knows What Freedom Feels Like

A tiger rescued from the “world’s worst zoo” now knows what freedom is.

In August, the Four Paws association succeeded in evacuating the last survivors of the Khan Younis zoo in Gaza, known as the “worst zoo in the world”. The animals imprisoned in this zoo, located in the middle of the war zone, were living a real hell.

Deprived of food, water and medical care, many animals did not survive the extremely grotesque living conditions. Living animals were forced to live among corpses lying on the ground, dried out by the sun.

Four Paws has been fighting since last year to have the park closed and has managed to save the remaining 15 animals. Among them was Laziz, a beautiful 9-year-old tiger.

Tragically, he had spent his entire existence in a tiny cage, completely deprived of stimulation and social interaction. But today, thankfully, the ordeal is over for this feline. After a long journey to South Africa, he has finally been released.

Upon his arrival at Lionsrock Lodge & Big Cat Sanctuary, where he will begin his new life, Laziz immediately seemed comfortable and confident…

But soon after, he suddenly became withdrawn and would not come out of his little cabin, showing up only to be fed.

Fiona Miles, a member of Four Paws, told The Dodo:

‘We were under the impression that he was very relaxed and confident when he arrived, but he’s actually very sensitive and it’s going to take him longer than we expected to come out of his shell and feel safe in his new home.

The change of environment played a big role, as did the fact that Laziz was traumatized by his terrible past. But, thankfully, that stress didn’t last long. Four Paws shared some good news: the tiger began to overcome his fears and become more friendly with the team.

The association said in a message on September 17:

‘Caregivers want to encourage and continue this behavior for several days, visiting Laziz often with treats to get him outside and realize he is safe where he is now.

“We have been repeating this routine since then twice a day. Each time, he gets more and more relaxed and after taking his reward, he stays outside with us for a while. This is great progress and we are very happy about it,” the organization continued.

Laziz no longer stays cooped up in his hut – he enjoys his new enclosure and seems to have developed a particular fondness for wood, spending a lot of time scratching his claws and body against his favorite log.

According to the volunteers, this behavior explains why the qnimql has most likely never been in contact with wood before.

With all the free time in the world, Laziz can finally enjoy freedom under the watchful eye of his caretakers at the sanctuary.

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